Well IMHO it's way overpriced . I managed to get a trial at 3 quid a time . I certainly wouldn't pay 9 for it ! Did a rough count .146 pages , when you take out the double page pics and the ads it boils down to 50 pages of reading material and then it's not full pages .

I was very sceptical for ages - overpriced, self importand toss-fodder for those with too much money.

Then someone on the magazine saw what I'd written & sent me a free copy

I have to say, I'm pretty impressed;
Well written, well judged articles. Nicely presented, lovely photography.
I've been reading cycling mags for thirty odd years and as Ton says, there's only so much you can write about bikes, so some of it felt familiar - but it's very intelligently written by people who obviously care and know their subject.

Is it overpriced?
Yes, but I'd rather have one copy of Privateer than three copies of MBR.

Grown out of endless reviews of kit I don't need and reviews of trail centres

+1 but I have grown to prefer the mad ramblings of most of the articles in Dirt, where half the "reviews" are incomprehensible and while they don't now seem to hate 29ers, at least they don't suggest that my failure to buy one makes me a terrible person

I quite like it. Quite sandall-ey though, the amount of time they spent talking about Gary Fisher's electric light shows was hilarious. "So, Gary Fisher, one of the inventors of the sport as we know it- don't talk about bikes"

Mind you I've got a few issues sitting unopened still and don't seem to be in any hurry to get into them. Small doses.

I subscribe via itunes and read it on my ipad, much cheaper and no dust gathering mags to worry about. The articles do dig deeper into the world of mtb, like a great article on the old London Beastway races, I've just downloaded the new issue last night, the front cover has a fish on it????

Not many adverts, obviously a good thing, interesting articles, but sooooo many full page pictures of none interesting images. They seem to manage to get at least 8 full page muddy face shots in every issue, I think I'd rather see adverts.

I get it if I'm going abroad, and need to kill time at an airport or something, would never subscribe.

I like Privateer too, I don't subscribe but pick it up on a reasonably regular basis. I like the not many ads aspect and the lack of silly biased tests of thermal tights, stems, bottle holders etc. It is a magazine you have to read fully rather than scan through picking out bits so may be a bit more challenging for some, but I usually find plenty to interest me. I dont mind full page photographs as I am a photographer and appreciate good photography.

Saying that, I do find Singletrack is my favourite read with a nice variety of articles which why is also my only MTB mag on subscription.

I really like it - it's rare to not read an issue entirely over a few train journeys. I enjoy the lack of product focus, I need to get away from that at times ) Agreed, it's the opposite of websites and MBUK style shorter attention span mags (no bad thing!) that are more for flipping through.

It's not cheap, but that's the price of staying in small print runs w/o more ad pages I guess. A fiver more than the other mags - a rubbish sarnie at the services is £3.50 or more. I can spend 3x longer reading it so fair vfm. It's treading a fine line but does a good job of it. A reader's digest for riders?

I can't make my mind up. First two issues were really good. Then after that it got a wee bit same-y same-y. Great quality and photography but it's the subject matter that I'm not fussed about. 18 page article on xc racing somewhere in the world (not interested sorry), then a 20 page advertorial for some componant company. If that were some cool frame builder then yeah, but not a tyre company. It's like that every issue lately.

This months looks better, not had chance to read it yet, but it's well timed as I told myself it was the last issue I'd buy.

On the plus side, it no doubt had some influence on the Singletrack revamp which so far has been excellent.